Articles 
23 MAY 2017
PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
HUMAN SURVIVAL PROJECT
PND, HUMAN SURVIVAL PROJECT, WELCOME DRAFT TEXT OF BAN TREATY
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT MUST PARTICIPATE IN BAN NEGOTIATIONS
People for Nuclear Disarmament and the Human Survival Project, have welcomed the release earlier today (Monday NY time) of the draft text of a treaty whose purpose is to make nuclear weapons illegal.Somewhere between 2/3 and ¾ of the governments of the world will be meeting at the UN in New York from 15 June to 7 July to further negotiate, finalise, and adopt the final text of a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, making them illegal.
Australia is boycotting these negotiations. It should be participating in them in good faith.
According to PNDs nuclear disarmament campaigner John Hallam, who will be attending the June15-July7 New York negotiation:
“According to the Australian Government, the adoption of a ban treaty by the overwhelming majority of the Governments of the world, will in some unexplainable way detract from step-by-step approaches that take place either bilaterally or under the aegis of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
It is even argued that the ban will somehow weaken the NPT.
This is complete nonsense. The ban will strengthen not weaken the NPT and will 'put a bomb under' efforts to proceed with step by step moves to eliminate nuclear weapons.”
“In fact, by refusing to attend Australia puts question-marks behind its real commitment to the elimination of nuclear weapons under art VI of the NPT and under repeated declarations from NPT review conferences.”
“Australia should reconsider and reverse its ban treaty boycott and lead an effort to use the ban treaty to strengthen and radically accelerate the so-called 'progressive' approach – an approach that so far has been characterised mainly by its complete lack of progress.”
“In addition, Australia should add its backing to moves to reduce the risks of inadvertent (or deliberate) nuclear war, which in recent years have spiralled to levels as high or higher than those of the most terrifying parts of the cold war.”
Contact:
John Hallam
h61-2-9810-2598
m61-411-854-612
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